Things I wish someone told me when I started my Fitness Journey
Starting a fitness journey is an excellent place to be in. You've thought long and hard about reasons you need to start. You've set your goals. You signed up for that gym/personal trainer/class. You even bought the good up gym outfit, the resistance bands ANDD the gym gloves. You're ready. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. There is #watchthisspace on the IG page you created to document your journey. What else could you need?
When I started my fitness journey I think one thing that I really wish I had then that I have now is mindset and perspective. These are things that you best get from experience. So for my starters or restarts, this post is serving my most treasured tips for anyone at the beginning of a new phase in their wellness journey. These are the things that kept me consistent and fighting. If you find them helpful head on over to my IG and let me know! Let’s get into it!
Things I wish someone told me when I started my fitness journey
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Things I wish someone told me when I started my fitness journey 〰️
No1: Your expectations must be realistic
Sculpting your body is an undertaking that can take months to years. I'm talking about approaching your fitness goals through building a balanced healthy lifestyle. If you aspire to fitness for the purpose of nurturing a healthy body, mind & soul, the gains will come but you have to have realistic expectations about the timeline. Many factors contribute to how long it will take to reach your goals. The first one I NEED to mention is GENETICS. The bad boy that makes us all different! YES GENETICS! Take the same diet and workout program, same personal trainer and give it to 3 different people…they all will see results at different rates. Nothing is wrong with that. That is just how biology works. The more realistic your expectations are about obtaining your goals, the less frustrated you will become and the more you’re able to enjoy the journey.
No2: If it’s not a priority, it won't last
A colleague asked me the other day, "Zee how do you stay so consistent with working out??" I told her without hesitation that I had to choose to make my health and fitness a priority. They HAD to become non-negotiables. What are non-negotiables you might ask? They are the aspects of my life that I have determined within my heart and promised myself that I will not compromise on. Regardless of what I have to manage in life, my non-negotiables take TOP priority. A lot of people may take offense to this reply. This is because, it is often interpreted personally. "So you're saying that the reason I can't stay consistent is because I don't care about myself enough or I don’t manage my time well?" I'm not saying that at all. What I will say is that persons may take offense because deep down they know the true answers to those questions. In some instances, the question may not be if you care about yourself but to what level do you treasure your health? What does it mean to you? In our youth, we tend to take health for granted because our bodies are more resilient, agile and full of energy. When the natural process of aging catches up with us and we start to see certain changes (weight gain, injuries, disease etc) then we become concerned. We now start thinking about our diets and run to the doctor in a panic. However, by that time it’s too late. The damage is already done. I'll end this point by saying, we commit to things that truly matter to us. Persons who value health do not wait until they no longer have it to start doing the things that promote health. So you might be reading this and may have to take a pause, look in the mirror and ask yourself: How much does my health really mean to me? What am I willing to do to keep it as long as I can? On the days that your schedule seems like it wants to strangle you, on the days where you're mentally exhausted, on the days where you just don't FEEL like it…you WILL STILL SHOW UP because you value the fact that fitness will sustain that thing that is so important to you…your health.
No3: This journey requires a HIGH level of commitment & discipline
I kind of hinted to this point in the previous one. Out of setting health and wellness as a priority, you then must build commitment and discipline. These are the non-tangible tools NEEDED for success in fitness. These you cannot get from Amazon. You have to cultivate them on your own. Some people may have developed these skills from other aspects of their lives (sports, military training, dance, art etc). That is great! While others will need to build theirs through their fitness journey. I need you to understand that much like your physical goals, these do not just develop overnight. It starts with the small daily actions. You choosing to execute that task today, and then tomorrow and the following day. Overtime that action will become a habit. Then your habits will become a lifestyle. So commit to starting, commit to your goals. Then choose them every single day especially when you don't feel like it. If we give our emotions too much power over us, we may never get anything done. I'm telling you it's such an awesome feeling you get when you show up and complete a workout particularly when you didn’t feel like it!
No4: Your shortcomings DO NOT define you
There will be days that you do hit a certain goal by the set deadline or you end up missing a few days from the gym because you got ill or work has been more stressful than usual. I need you to know that these minor setbacks DO NOT define you. Please do not take them personally and more importantly, do not let them cause you to stop. Even the best fall down sometimes. So when you hit a minor bump, always get back up and keep going. If you had to pause for whatever reason: finances or other life demands that may have been outside of your control, as soon as you are ready and able, get back up and continue running towards that goal.
No5: The way you train has to be adaptable because life is unpredictable
Life be life-ing. We all can relate to this. And the only thing that is constant is change. Life will change and bring with it obstacles/challenges (busy work schedules, injuries/disease, lost, failures, tight disposable income, children, you name it). The more flexible you are with your fitness journey (one that allows you to adapt to the flowing rivers of life), the more likely are you to stay consistent. Your fitness journey has to flow with life. Once you find a rhythm maintain it but be able to adjust the tempo when necessary. Don't be too hard on yourself when you have to take a break or slow down. Remember overall health is the goal and for whatever stage in life you may be facing, the slower pace may be the healthier option for that season.
No6: You don’t have to do it alone
Get connected to a community, find a gym partner. The more support you have the greater the chances of success. When I started my fitness journey, looooooll I was 100% #independentqueen #icandobadallbymyself. I learnt so much more when I opened up and let persons help me. Moreover, I enjoyed the process so much more. There ain’t nothing like getting a good pump with good company! If you’re looking for a support system that will show up for you every time, reach out to me to find out how you can join the Zeal Fam.
No7: The scale is not the only indicator of progress
I wrote a whole blog post on this so I won't take long on this point. There are a whole host of other modalities through which we can gauge growth and progress. Some of which will provide better insight and therefore more encouragement than the scale. Get the scoop from our blog post: ‘Ways to Track Fitness Progress OUTSIDE of the scale’ by clicking the button below.
No8: Do not fall into the trap of comparing yourself to the influencers on Social media
Don’t compare yourself to anyone. However, I specifically mentioned the persons on IG including myself for a reason. We are not perfect and our full stories are never completely captured by what you see on SM. Draw inspiration from this space use it to connect to a great support system. But please please please do not fall into the trap of letting other body shapes, access to the best outfits or access to beautiful gyms discourage you. Please remember that all of our journeys will be different. Yours is unique to you. SO make it the best you get to experience. And if you decide to, share it. Someone in a very similar position to you may need to see that someone like them can and is doing it too.
No9: If you limit what fitness can do for you, it will only give you that
This last one is so near and dear to my heart. Before I started typing I could feel the passion swelling in my chest. Kings and Queens! If you take nothing else from this blog post, this is the sauce. Brace yourselves…FITNESS HAS SOMETHING POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL TO OFFER EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR BEING. The benefits are wide-reaching! If you limit the way you see fitness benefitting you, the limited view you have is all you will see and experience. 'I'm only doing this for 6 months to grow my butt #hottsummerbody #carnival", "I'm only trying to bulk up for the ladies to notice me more".
But when you honour fitness for everything it can give BEYOND the aesthetics (eg clarity, peace, experience of the strength you truly possess, sense of accomplishment, understanding of how resilient you are, healing of mental wounds, connect to like-minded people that support you and NOT TO MENTION health & longevity) when you stay open to all these possibilities you reap a greater harvest. From the early short term benefits you get a taste (e.g. “Wow, I’m feeling more energetic and less sluggish!”; “Wow I can climb a flight of stairs without getting breathless!”). It then drives you to want to experience more, your appetite increases and soon you become unstoppable at crushing goals, tapping into all the benefits of fitness and even applying them to score on success in other aspects of your life.
Really hope this helps! Remember to head over to the IG page to let me know what you thought. If you’re looking for that community to help catapult your fitness journey, book a consult with me, let’s talk about how you can join the Zeal Fam. Until next time kings & queens!
